Coach
Todd Berry earned a reputation as a turnaround
specialist during coaching stops at Tennessee-Martin,
East Carolina, and Illinois State. His 5-29
record so far at Army indicates he has yet
to work his magic at West Point. Don't expect
it to happen this season, either.

The
Black Knights could not stop any 2002 opponents,
and their small defense (two linebackers
under 220 pounds, two linemen under 245
pounds) will insure that they will be run
over by any team with a decent ground game.
But, if the defense does progress somewhat,
it will make fall life fun at the academy.

Berry
likes to employ a wide open passing game,
but that is a dubious choice for a military
academy. Air Force has become a consistent
winner with an option-based running offense,
and Navy has also enjoyed some success with
that approach. It is highly unlikely any
of the academies will attract the level
of skill personnel to successfully employ
a passing oriented offense. But, that said,
something, anything, new may work for this
I-A floor mat.

This
year's 13-game schedule (including a trip
to Hawaii) could make it a long, long season
for the Army players and their fans, especially
with another loss to Navy. More than two
wins would be a surprise.

The
success of an offense usually starts with its
quarterback, and Army has two talented young signal
callers.

The
returning starter is junior Reggie Nevels. Nevels,
who was troubled by an injured hamstring most
of 2002, is a mobile quarterback with a strong
arm. He was the Black Knights' third leading rusher
despite his limited playing time and threw only
five interceptions, but in 102 passes. Head coach
Todd Berry likes his field vision and his overall
knowledge of the game. After leaving the Army
football program in February due to personal reasons,
Nevels has re-joined the club.

Backing
up Nevels is sophomore Zac Dahman. When Nevels
was injured, Dahman became the first freshman
("plebe" in military terms) to start
at quarterback for Army since 1987. Dahman's 353
yards passing against Houston was the second highest
single-game total in school history. His completion
rate was only 48.4%, but the coaching staff feels
he has the accuracy to become a strong pocket
passer - this ripple would surely give the Cadets
a few more wins annually.

Returning
as the featured running back this season is sophomore
Carlton Jones. He moved his way up from third
string to earn the starting role midway through
2002 and led the team in rushing with 657 yards.
Jones' average was only 3.8 yards per carry, but
he did show the ability to burst through the line
with authority. Jones also developed into a receiving
threat late in the season. He will need to stay
healthy and be able to handle 15-20 carries per
game. The Black Knights don't have much depth
behind him.

Army
has two experienced wide receivers, juniors William
White and Aaron Alexander. White is by far the
best breakaway threat on the roster, and he led
the team with a 17.5-yard average per catch. Alexander
is a tough possession receiver, utilizing his
height to effectively make catches in traffic.
He is also a tenacious blocker.

The
offensive line could be a problem. Army has only
one returning starter from last year, junior tackle
Joel Glover. Even with their experience last season,
the line could only lead the running game to a
poor 3.4-yard average per carry. They were a good
pass-blocking group, but that is in question at
least until the new starters show if they can
jell as a unit.

QB
Reggie Nevels

ARMY
2003 DEPTH CHARTReturning Starters in bold

OFFENSE

QB

Reggie
Nevels-Jr (6-0, 188)

Zac
Dahman-So (6-0, 167)

RB

Carlton
Jones-So (5-10, 196)

D.J.
Blackledge-Jr (6-0, 207)

WR

Aaron
Alexander-Jr (6-6, 203)

Bruce
Brown-So (5-11, 176)

WR

Clint
Woody-Sr (6-6, 230)

Blaine
Cooper-So (6-1, 196)

WR

Jacob
Murphy-So (6-2, 198)

William
White-Jr (5-11, 197)

TE

Doug
Horaist-Jr (6-4, 235)

Christian
Montagliani-Jr (6-4, 240)

OT

Joel
Glover-Jr (6-5, 276)

Regan
Tatford-Jr (6-5, 297)

OG

Andy
Dytrych-Jr (6-3, 286)

Adam
Wojcik-Jr (6-4, 267)

C

David
Evetts-Jr (6-2, 283)

Justin
Troy-So (6-1, 286)

OG

Jake
Holly-Jr (6-3, 285)

Pete
Bier-So (6-3, 270)

OT

Brad
Waudby-Sr (6-5, 326)

Seth
Nieman-Jr (6-5, 294)

K

Joe
Riley-So (5-10, 207)

Anthony
Zurisko-Sr (5-11, 199)

2003
DEFENSE

written
by James Johnson

Army
has eight of 2002's starters back. Coming from
a unit that allowed 41 points and almost 400 yards
per game, that is at best a mixed blessing.

Last
season's top performer, senior linebacker Ryan
Kent, returns as the unit's leader. He led the
team in tackles last season and is the closest
thing the Black Knights have to a big-play defender.
He plays the "bandit" spot in Army's
blitzing 4-4 defensive scheme, and his six passes
defended led the team, too.

Another
impact player for Army's stop unit is junior safety
Lucius Weaver. The second leading returning tackler,
Weaver is the DBs' biggest hitter. He plays the
run very well - his five TFLs are a very high
number for a defensive back.

The
Black Knights return two key starters on the defensive
line, junior end Keenan Beasley and junior tackle
Will Sullivan. Beasley was second on the team
with 4.5 sacks. He has tremendous speed and quickness
coming off the edge of the line, and pressures
opposing quarterbacks amply. The coaches are expecting
him to improve his run stopping. Sullivan is also
a strong pass-rusher and a solid run stopper who
has a good nose for the football but is a little
undersized. This is typical with many of the men
in military football service. Sullivan also has
good pursuit skills for a defensive lineman.

This
is a defense that needs to make the play(s) when
needed, both big and small. They allowed opponents
an alarming 4.4 yards per rushing attempt, and
only intercepted six passes in 12 games.

LB
Ryan Kent

ARMY
2003 DEPTH CHARTReturning Starters in bold

DEFENSE

DE

Keenan
Beasley-Jr (6-3, 246)

Mike
Clark-Jr (6-1, 234)

DT

Will
Sullivan-Jr (6-3, 254)

Tommy
Ryan-So (6-3, 271)

DT

Trey
Landry-Jr (6-3, 279)

Seth
Lotts-So (6-3, 243)

DE

Odene
Brathwaite-Jr (6-4, 260)

Ryan
Johnson-Jr (6-2, 221)

OLB

Ryan
Kent-Sr (6-0, 215)

Taylor
Justice-So (6-0, 195)

ILB

Brian
Hill-Sr (6-3, 233)

Matt
Maimone-Jr (6-2, 228)

ILB

Greg
Washington-Jr (6-0, 225)

Mikel
Resnick-Jr (6-0, 217)

OLB

Curt
Daniels-Jr (6-0, 197)

Seth
Gulsby-So (6-2, 209)

CB

Delente
Brewer-Jr (6-0, 189)

Ray
Stith-So (5-9, 169)

CB

Jonathan
Lewis-Jr (6-0, 192)

Mario
Price-So (5-11, 192)

FS

Lucius
Weaver-Jr (6-3, 229)

Dhyan
Tarver-So (5-11, 176)

P

Alex
Bradford-Jr (6-1, 195)

Tom
Dyrenforth-So (5-9, 181)

2003
SPECIAL TEAMS

Junior
William White was one of the more prolific kickoff returners
in the nation, gaining over 1,200 yards on runbacks
and averaging a strong 22.5 per attempt. Again, good
numbers that really reveal how many times the Cadets
were scored on. The punt return job will be up for grabs
when practice opens.

Sophomore
Joe Riley won the placekicking job late and performed
well. He connected on 4-of-5 FGAs and consistently put
his kickoffs inside the five-yard line. New special
teams coordinator Denny Creehan hopes Riley can add
some leg strength and force some touchbacks to take
some pressure off his beleaguered coverage teams.

Sophomore
Alex Bradford will inherit the punting chores and will
likely improve Army's 36.7 punting average from last
season.